Protective shield for telescriber machines



N v- 1969 J. H. CHAN DLER PROTECTIVE SHIELD FOR TELESCRIBER MACHINES Filed Oct. 12, 1967 INVENTOR. JOSEPH H. CHANDLER United States Patent 3,480,728 PROTECTIVE SHIELD FOR TELESCRIBER MACHINES Joseph H. Chandler, Decatur, Ga., assignor to Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, Calif. Filed Oct. 12, 1967, Ser. No. 674,880 Int. Cl. G08c 21/00 US. Cl. 17818 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A protective shield structure for use with telescriber machines and the like and placed thereupon in a manner to mask a portion of the platen area so that such machines may easily be used by 1eft-handed writing persons. The shield is of U-shaped configuration and positioned so that the users hand rests upon the shield rather than the platen. Protruding tabs from the free ends of the U assist in maintaining the shield in operative position.

The present invention pertains generally to a protective structure and more particularly the invention embodies a protective structure, or shield, for use with telescriber machines so that these machines are adaptable to both right and left-handed users.

The type of telescriber machine as illustrated for use with the present invention transcribes whatever movements are made by the writing pen on the transmitter machine into identical movements on a writing pen of the receiving machine positioned at a remote location. Therefore, it is seen that for all practical purposes a persons handwriting may be reproduced and sent to a remote location electrically by the use of such machine, With correct use of the transmitting machine, the receiving pen at the remote location makes every move that the transmitting pen makes with the exception that the receiving pen does not write unless the transmitting pen is pressed down upon the writing platen of the transmitting machine. On top of the platen is normally located a suitable writing form upon which the user inscribes useful indicia which are to be transmitted to the remote location. In normal use the pressure of the transmitting pen presses down upon the platen underneath the paper form and this pressure activates the receiving pen to lower itself upon the receiving paper form to thereby transcribe the transmitting pen movements.

However, a left-handed person when writing normally does so with his left hand in a position that does not correspond to the same positioning of a right-handed person. A person writing left-handed frequently does so with a definite crook in the left wrist so that the hand of the writer is normally positioned in a manner that turns the hand back toward the writer. Therefore, with the type of machine disclosed herein, this frequently means that the users hand will normally rest upon the platen of the transmitter. Therefore, because of this the platen remains depressed as long as the left-handed user rests his hand in his normal writing position which necessarily means that the receiving pen at the remote receiving location also remains depressed during this period of time. This means that the receiving pen does not lift off of the paper form upon which it is writing when the user lifts the transmitting pen after each word or phrase. Accordingly, an unintelligible garble of lines are produced upon the receiving paper form due to the fact that every movement made by the left-handed transmitting operator, whether he is writing or not, will be transmitted to the receiving pen and placed upon the receiving paper form. A lefthanded person is, therefore, at a distinct disadvantage 3,480,728 Patented Nov. 25, 1969 ICC when using a machine of the type herein disclosed since his writing will be unintelligible and of little use.

It is an object, therefore, of this invention to provide a protective structure for use on a telescriber machine that allows such a machine to be used by both left-handed Writing and right-handed writing users. It is also desired that the protective strucure or shield should be so constructed that it fits the telescriber machine in an unobtrusive manner and also have the ability of being installed with a minimum of effort and requiring a minimum of maintenance.

Further, it is also an object to provide a protective shield of the type described herein having low initial cost.

Other objects, advantages, and capabilities of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing only a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top perspective view showing a telescriber machine utilizing the protective shield of the present invention and further showing the normal position of the hand when the machine is being utilized by a lefthanded user;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the protective shield; and

FIGURE 3 is a bottom perspective view of the invention.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures, a common type of telescriber machine to which the present invention is particularly adaptable is generally indicated by the numeral 11. The machine 11 generally comprises an enclosure cover 12 having a pair of side panels 13 and a top panel 14 interconnecting the side panels 13. While the operative parts of the telescriber machine 11 are generally enclosed by the cover 12, at one end of the machine there is a receptacle 15 which stores a suitable quantity of unused printed forms 16 which are fed into the machine as desired.

The top panel 14 of the machine cover has at its forwardmost portion a relieved writing form and platen area 17. Within this area are the parts which most directly interest the immediate user of the machine. These parts normally comprise a writing pen 18 which is attached to the interior of the telescriber machine by means of writing pen arms 19 which normally transmit each and every movement made by the point of the writing pen 18. Within the writing form and platen area 17 as depicted in FIGURE 1 there is positioned for immediate use an unused form 16a upon which the operator is shown writing. Underneath the form 16a is located the platen 21. As noted above, it is the pressure of the writing pen 18 upon the form 16a and subsequently upon the platen 21 Which activates the telescriber machine 11. Only if there is pressure upon the platen 21 will a remote receiving machine receive signals from the transmitting machine, which signals correspond exactly to the motions of the point of the writing pen 18.

Therefore, to prevent the hand 22 of the left-hand user from resting upon the platen 21, which it normally does in the position shown in FIGURE 1 and which position is the normal left-handed writting position, there is provided a protective shield 23.to which the present invention is directed. The protective shield is of generally U-shaped construction and preferably made of relatively thin gauge wood, metal or plastic as the situation may dictate. The choice of materials from which the shield is manufactured is relatively insignificant and normally depends upon the preference of the user. The shield 23 may be generally described as having a base leg 24 and two laterally extending legs 25 and 26 which flank the base leg 24.

As seen from both FIGURES 1 and 2, the protective shield 23 may be placed upon the telescriber machine 11 in the manner illustrated by placing the laterally extending legs and 26 on either side of the writing form and platen area 17 so that this area is encompassed between the laterally extending legs and the base leg. In this manner of attachment the protective shield 23 provides a hand rest area for the users hand 22 so that his hand will not come into contact with the form and platen area 17 to thereby preclude any hand pressure being exerted upon the platen 21. To further facilitate the retention of the shield in the desired operative area, each of the laterally extending legs 25 and 26 have at their distal ends 27 a retaining tab 28 which is preferably attached by suitable fasteners 29 to the underside of the distal end 27. In normal use the retaining tabs 28 fit under the cover edge 31 of the top panel 14 while the distal ends of the laterally extending legs are situated adjacent the cover edge 31. In this manner the protective shield is kept from being inadvertently displaced either laterally or vertically, yet it may be removed by simple manipulation without resorting to tools or any sort.

On the particular telescriber machine illustrated herein, to which the protective shield has been adapted, there are certain operational mechanisms which project above the top horizontal surface of the machine. These particular projections must be taken into account when the protective shield is manufactured. Therefore, a certain number of apertures must be manufactured into the protective shield in order that the projections may be accommodated. It should be understood that the apertures as shown in the protective shield as illustrated in FIGURES 1-3 are for the particular type of telescriber machine disclosed herein and may vary as the situation dictates. In the protective shield described herein the base leg 24 has two apertures 32, 33, both of which allow the machine latches 34, 35 to project therethrough. The laterally extending leg 26 has incorporated therein three apertures 36, 37, and 38, which are provided to allow various informational indicia to project through the protective shield so that it may be easily read and understood. Such informational indicia are generally indicated in phantom by the numerals 41, 42, and 43.

As described in the present disclosure, the protective shield 23 provides a rest area for the users hand so that the hand does not press downwardly upon the platen 21 which necessarily would mean that all movements made by the writing pen 18 would be transmitted to the remote receiving unit since it is a known factor in this type of machine that, once the platen is depressed, such an event occurs. Therefore, the protective shield herein provides a useful adjunct to the telescriber machine 11 by making it possible, which was not heretofore generally feasible, for left-handed users to utilize the machine in their normal writing manner. This invention, being of low cost, of easy manufacture, and of great utility while retaining an extraordinary simplicity, provides a useful im- '4 plement long needed in the art to which the invention pertains.

I claim:

1. A protective structure for use on telescriber machines comprising a shield of thin planar U-shaped configuration, the shield having a base leg and two laterally extending legs, the laterally extending legs each having a proximal end and a distal end, the two laterally extending legs being in flanking relation relative to the base leg and being disposed integrally and coplanar therewith by the proximal ends of each laterally extending leg, means for maintaining the protective structure attached to the telescriber machine, said means comprising at least one retaining tab fixed to the distal end of one of the laterally extending legs, the retaining tab being mounted to project past the distal end of the laterally extending leg to which it is mounted, the retaining tab being mounted in offset relation and noncoplanar with respect to the shield.

2. The protective structure set forth in claim 1 wherein the included angle between the base leg and each laterally extending leg is substantially 3. A protective structure for use on telescriber machines to prevent the transmission of unwanted signals caused by pressure of an operators hand upon the writing platen, the structure comprising a shield of thin planar U-shaped configuration, the shield having a base leg and two laterally extending legs, the laterally extending legs each having a proximal end and a distal end, the two laterally extending legs being in flanking relation relative to the base leg and being disposed integrally and coplanar therewith by the proximal ends of each laterally extending leg, retaining tabs fixed to the distal end of each laterally extending leg adapted to secure the shield to the machine so that the shield is positioned partially over the writing platen.

4. The protective structure set forth in claim 3 wherein the retaining tabs are mounted so as to project past the distal end of the laterally extending legs and parallel thereto, the retaining tabs being mounted in olfset relation and non-coplanar with respect to the shield.

5. The protective structure set forth in claim 4 Wherein the included angle between the base leg and each laterally extending leg is substantially 90.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 903,031 11/1908 Diaz 197-101 2,991,329 7/1961 Weingart et al 178--18 FOREIGN PATENTS 373,342 4/ 1923 Germany.

THOMAS A. ROBINSON, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 3537;197--101 

